


Rock Me Slowly

by IceBlueRose



Series: Rock Me Slowly [1]
Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician), Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: rpf_big_bang, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-11
Updated: 2011-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-17 22:35:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceBlueRose/pseuds/IceBlueRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lieutenant Kris Allen is a good cop, one who gets the job done. Meeting Adam Lambert and instantly trusting him is a distraction he never counted on - especially since the man is a suspect for murder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the awesome poster by trilliane: http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww281/trillianespics/rockmeslowlyart.jpg

There was only one light when he walked into the room and he raised an eyebrow, turning to the table, where an open briefcase sat.

“A little dramatic, don’t you think?”

“Well, you know me,” was the response. “I love a good drama.”

“You always have.” Drake LaBry nodded as he sat down, the scent of the cigarette he’d had before walking in still lingering around him.

“Yes, well, about that, I have to know whether or not you have everything.” The person lifted a cigarette and lit it, breathing deep before turning their head to make sure the smoke didn’t hit Drake.

Drake frowned and then nodded again. “Yeah, of course I do. I said I’d bring it, didn’t I?”

“And it’s a good thing. We’re going to have to take care of this quickly and quietly.” They tilted their head. “This will save us time. Specifically, it’ll save me some time.”

“You won’t have to search as many files to figure out who’s behind this?”

They smiled and leaned back against the table, reaching back into the briefcase and curling their hand around cool metal, picking it up and twisting it in their hands. “So I won’t have to search for the files that I need to destroy,” they said.

Drake didn’t even have time to open his mouth before the dagger slid into his chest.

 

~*~*~

 

Kris Allen hadn’t slept in almost forty-eight hours. He was tired, he was pissed, and all he wanted was a soft, warm bed and maybe a cold beer.

Instead, he had a report to write up and paperwork to fill out.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, knowing that even that simple motion wouldn’t tempt him to fall asleep just yet. Not with the images that were still fresh in his mind.

 _“Get away from me,” the man shouted, waving the gun at the young boy in front of him, eyes wild._

 _Kris stopped, gun raised and hands steady as he wracked his brain to remember what the man’s landlord had said his name was. “Ben,” he started, making sure to keep his voice low so as not to startle him, “why don’t you put the gun down?”_

 _“Why don’t you go to hell?” Ben snapped. “Fucking cops, can’t ever just leave a man alone.”_

 _Kris fought the urge to look down at the boy—Tim—and tilted his head slightly instead. “Ben, put the gun down and back up.”_

 _“You’re here because that bitch called you. She wants you to lock me up.”_

 _There was no room for the idea that, yeah, Kris kind of agreed with whoever she was. A man that was holding a gun to his son’s head wasn’t exactly sane after all. At least, not in Kris’s experience._

 _“I told you to get away from me!” Ben’s grip on the gun shifted and Kris moved forward a step._

 _Use his name. Make a connection. “Ben—“ He cut off, his eyes widening as Ben pulled the trigger. “No!”_

 _Ben stared down at Tim’s body for only a moment before he lifted his gun and pointed it at Kris._

 _Kris didn’t hesitate as he pulled the trigger._

Four years old. Kris let out a breath and shoved back from his desk, moving out of the bullpen and heading for the coffee pot. The coffee would be absolute crap but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that the caffeine might help him focus on something other than the fact that he hadn’t been able to save a young boy from his father.

Silently swearing, Kris turned and headed in the direction of the locker room instead. He nodded at a few familiar faces, careful to keep the nausea he felt from showing.

“Allen, heard you had a rough one.”

Kris glanced over, nodding at Matt Giraud. “Yeah,” was all he said. There was a moment of silence before he raised his eyebrows slightly. “How’s your case going?”

“Wrapping it up and bringing the guy in. I’m thinking of letting the kid take the lead in Interview.” Matt grinned slightly and Kris knew it was because some of his surprise was showing. ‘The kid’ was Matt’s partner, David Archuleta, or Archie as everyone called him, and he was a rookie officer that had worked his way up to Homicide. He was a sweet kid and he put people at ease quickly. Kris had always thought he’d had a baby face but he’d more than proven himself in the field when he’d almost become a victim of a serial killer a couple of months ago and had to hold his own against the man until they’d shown up.

“Yeah?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, I think it’ll be good for him. He’s ready.”

“Let me know how he does,” Kris said, bumping Matt’s shoulder.

“Will do.” He didn’t say anything else as he walked out and Kris closed his eyes again before he steeled himself against the way his stomach turned and headed directly towards the sinks. He stared at his reflection, looking for anything that someone might be able to take as a sign that he was anything less than okay.

It was no surprise that there wasn’t one. He’d learned to mask those feelings years ago. Rather than linger on the thought, he turned on the water, splashing his face and reveling in the quick shock to his system from the cold water.

He took a few more moments to himself before nodding at his reflection and then walking back out and into the hall.

“Allen.”

He stopped and turned. “Commander Cowell,” he acknowledged. He thought of the report he had yet to type up and bit the inside of his cheek. “My report—“

“—will have to wait,” he interjected. “Homicide over at Asper. You’re going to be primary.”

Kris frowned. “Sir, Gokey’s up to take the next available case.”

Cowell nodded. “I know that, Allen. That doesn’t change the fact that you’re now primary on this. You’re discreet and I have no doubt you’ll get the job done.”

He isn’t sure what that says about Cowell’s faith in Gokey, who might be a bit of an asshole sometimes but is also a good cop, but it’s not his place to say anything. “Yes, sir,” he said instead.

“Good.” Cowell didn’t say anything else, just continued down to his office.

Kris blew out another breath and then swung back into the bullpen, grabbing his keys off of his desk. He glanced over at his partner, Anoop Desai, and jerked his head towards the exit.

“We’ve got another.”

Anoop frowned even as he stood. “Isn’t it supposed to be Gokey?” he asked as they headed down towards the parking garage.

“Yeah, well, there’s been a murder at Asper and Cowell insisted.”

“Somebody get stabbed to death with eyeliner?” Anoop’s lips twitched and Kris couldn’t help but remember a time when he’d have scowled at the remark instead of being amused. He and Anoop had only been working together for a little over a year and it had taken months before he’d begun to trust Anoop on a personal level and confessed that he liked both men and women. Anoop’s reaction had been to simply raise an eyebrow as if he was waiting for Kris to get to saying what the big deal was.

Kris snorted and shook his head. “Shut up, Desai.”

 

~*~*~

 

Kris nodded at the officer standing near the backdoor of Asper. “First on scene?” he asked.

The officer nodded. “Yes. Sophia Bush found the body and called the police. She was here to set up some of the displays.”

“Was she able to identify the victim?”

Again, the officer nodded. “Drake LaBry,” he said.

“Good.” Kris gestured to the door. “Scene secure?”

“Yeah. Once we got here, we were able to secure the scene and make sure that no one disturbed anything.”

“Good job, Officer.” Kris moved passed him, eyes scanning the room as he and Anoop walked further into the room. Ahead of him, he could see Jensen Ackles taking pictures of the crime scene. “Ackles,” Kris greeted.

The clicking of the shutter didn’t pause. “Allen,” he replied. “Surprised to see you here.” Finally, he glanced over. “Weren’t you and Desai working another case?”

“Wrapped it. Commander sent us over for this one.”

“And now Gokey gets a vacation,” Anoop added. Jensen grinned and then turned back to take a few more photographs.

“Single stab wound,” Kris muttered as he and Anoop moved closer to Drake LaBry’s body. “Through the heart from the looks of it.”

“Had to be quick,” Anoop agreed. “It doesn’t look like there was a struggle and there are no defensive wounds. Considering he got stabbed with a dagger, that’s unexpected.”

“Which could mean any number of things,” Kris sighed. “Could mean that he knew his killer, could mean that the killer surprised him.”

“I’d say he was surprised either way,” Anoop muttered. Kris raised an eyebrow, making sure to keep a straight face and Anoop shifted before returning the look. “Well, you don’t think he was expecting to get killed, do you?”

“People usually don’t.” He let out a breath and looked over at Jensen. “Did you get all your pictures?”

“That’s everything. Scene’s all yours.”

Kris looked over at Anoop. “Start bagging evidence. We need to get him to the ME so we can get an official ID.” He turned back to look at Drake LaBry, thought of the lack of defensive wounds as well as the dagger protruding from his chest, and wondered just how well he’d known his killer.

 

~*~*~

 

Sophia Bush was a gorgeous woman, Kris thought to himself, even with red eyes and tear tracks staining her cheeks.

“Sophia,” Kris said, making sure to keep his voice low so as not to startle her. Even then, she jerked as if he’d fired a gun in the silent room. He’s always had a way with witnesses so he sits across from her, making sure she can see each move he makes. “I’m Lieutenant Kris Allen.”

“You’re the cop that’s going to find...” She paused and then swallowed. “You’re going to find who killed Drake?” she asked.

Kris nodded. “Yeah, I am.” He glanced over to where Anoop was, nodding at him as he got closer. “This is my partner, Detective Anoop Desai.”

Anoop sat near Kris and smiled at Sophia. “Sophia,” he greeted. She let out a breath and nodded in return.

“We need to go over what happened,” Kris told her. He waited until she had nodded before leaning forward. “What time did you get here?”

“About 5:30,” she said after a few moments. “I said I’d come in early, before we opened, so I could go through the store and make sure everything was set up and so I could set up the big display that’ll go up front.”

“Did you come to the back right away?”

She shook her head. “No, I stopped to check the two other displays and make sure that they didn’t need any adjustments.”

“And then what did you do?” Anoop asked.

Sophia let out a breath and scrubbed at her face, smearing her eyeliner even more. “That’s when I went to the back. The light was on and I saw...” She trailed off and closed her eyes.

“You’re sure the light was on?” Kris said, hoping to distract her.

She frowned and opened her eyes. “Yes. I remember because I was kind of annoyed and wondering who had left the light on in the first place.” She swallowed. “And then I turned the corner and there was Drake, just there in the chair.”

“This is important, Sophia. Did you touch Drake or anything at all?”

She thought about it for a few moments. “No, I don’t think I did. I just pulled out my phone and dialed.”

“Did you hear anything?” Anoop shifted so that she focused on him and she let out a breath.

“Other than my own scream? No.”

“And you didn’t see anything either?”

She shook her head. “No, there was no one there. Just Drake.” Her breath hitched. “He was going to help me redecorate my apartment.” It was as if that one comment was enough to break her. “I don’t understand who would do this.”

“Sophia, is there anyone that can come get you?” Anoop pulled out his phone. “Someone we can call?”

She nodded. “Yeah, my roommate, Katie. She’ll come.”

Kris put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. “You did good, Sophia.” When she looked up at him, she looked just a bit relieved and he nodded at her before giving Anoop a look that his partner easily interpreted and nodded.

Quickly, Kris walked out of the room, already pulling out his phone to call the lab and see if he could put a rush on the dagger.

 

~*~*~

 

Word had already spread throughout the bullpen by the time Kris and Anoop returned to the station. Kris spared only a few glances towards the other cops, staring at them until they looked away. He knew exactly how bullpen gossip worked and the fact that he’d been given this case over Gokey would start rumors about the Commander having favorites.

“Let’s get started. We’re going to need to get everything down to the lab so that Misha can get started on analyzing for any trace of DNA or fingerprints that might have been left behind by the killer.”

“Hey, Allen!”

Kris turned to see Megan Joy motioning towards the hallway. “Yeah, Megan?”

“The Commander wants to see you. Right away.” She made an apologetic face as he turned and walked towards her. They were silent as they walked down the hallway and then she finally spoke, “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer right away, pausing to really consider the answer. “I’m fine,” he said.

She scoffed. “Right.”

Kris nudged her in the side with his elbow. “I will be.”

Megan studied him for a moment as they came to a stop outside of Cowell’s door. “You just might be.” She nodded towards the door. “No need to knock, he’s expecting you.”

Kris didn’t respond as the phone on her desk began to ring and she moved to answer it, choosing to just walk into the office instead. He inclined his head as Cowell looked up and nodded at him. “Commander.”

“Allen,” he greeted. “Sit down.”

Part of Kris wanted to protest and say that he didn’t need to but he also knew that this definitely wasn’t the time to argue, so he sat, waiting to see what it was that Cowell had wanted to see him for.

For the next few moments, Cowell was silent as he studied Kris. Finally, he spoke,

“You know that it’s policy to go talk to the shrink after you’ve killed a suspect,” he said. Kris nodded.

“Yes, sir, I can arrange to make an appointment—“

“I’m postponing yours,” he interrupted. Kris’s eyes widened slightly though that was the only sign he gave that he was surprised.

“Commander—“

“I need you to get as far on this case as you can over the next forty-eight hours, which is about how long I’ll be able to postpone that appointment.” He gave Kris a hard look. “Are you going to be able to handle that?”

Kris straightened his shoulders. “Of course.”

Cowell nodded. “Get going, Allen. I want as much information as you can get on this case before your appointment.”

Nodding, Kris moved towards the door, already trying to think of what he needed to do next. “Yes, sir,” he said, just before he left the office.

He needed to see the ME.

 

~*~*~

 

There was the sound of upbeat music blasting through speakers and Kris couldn’t help but let his lips twitch as he listened to the song. The twitch of his lips turned into a full blown grin when he saw the medical examiner, Jared Padalecki, bouncing in place to the beat, mouthing the words as he looked over a set of results.

“Tell me that’s my man,” he called out, smirking slightly when Jared jumped. He turned towards Kris and raised an eyebrow.

“You know it, Allen,” he said brightly. “Your man is top priority at the moment. But it hasn’t even been a day, I’m not going to have much for you.”

“Enough to confirm that it’s a homicide, I hope.” Kris raised an eyebrow.

“Obviously. Not many people stab themselves through the heart.”

Kris immediately focused on that. “So, LaBry was stabbed through the heart? We weren’t positive that it had gone that deep.”

Jared nodded. “Oh, it did, believe me.” He gestured for Kris to follow him over to the table where Drake LaBry was laid out and Kris vaguely noted that Drake looked much more peaceful than he had earlier. The expression of shock was no longer visible on his face and, had it not been for the absolute stillness in his face, he would look like he was simply resting his eyes instead.

“Can you give me anything else?”

“Another few minutes and I’ll be able to tell you if he was on anything and what his last meal was. The results are almost ready.”

“That’s fast.”

“I put a rush on it.”

Kris smiled, letting his gratitude show. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“They’re going to be riding you over this one, Allen. You’re going to need as much as you can get and as fast as you can get, I know that.” As he talked, he walked over to his computer and typed in a few things, studying whatever popped up on the screen before he nodded and turned to Kris, motioning him forward. “Here are your results. Drake LaBry had no drugs in his system except for a few that indicate he was a smoker. Some alcohol but nothing that would raise any eyebrows so it’s likely that he had that with his dinner, which was a big helping of manicotti.” He glanced at the results again. “He’d already been dead about four hours by the time he was found, so I’d say he was killed around 1:30.”

Kris frowned slightly as he considered the results. “Okay, so that rules out the fact that his killer took him by surprise because he was too intoxicated to fight back. It doesn’t mean I can fully rule out some sort of drug deal gone bad but it’s a definite start in the right direction.”

“What do you think it was?”

Kris turned and stared down at Drake, studying his face. “I don’t know,” he said after a few moments. “But I’m definitely going to find out.”

And he fully planned on finding out soon.

 

~*~*~

 

Kris let out a slow breath as he let himself in to the back room of Asper. He could still see all of the evidence that they’d been there. Nothing had been disturbed and he couldn’t help but be satisfied at the fact that someone had kept people away from the crime scene. The tape was still in place and though they’d removed anything they thought the killer might have touched, Kris knew there was still a chance that something might still be there.

A slight movement had his hand automatically going to his gun even as he turned. He paused when he saw who it was.

Despite what Anoop liked to claim, Kris didn’t live under a rock. He knew who Adam Lambert was. Most people had, ever since he’d practically exploded on to the scene and knocked the fashion world on its ass with his designs. Follow that with a successful makeup line that was advertised in magazines and on billboards as well as television and, even without Megan and other women drooling over his clothes, Kris definitely knew who Adam Lambert was.

The man was taller than Kris had been expecting but then he only really had pictures to go off of. Still, the rest of him lived up to his image, from the black hair falling into clear blue eyes to the eyeliner and smattering of freckles that his foundation couldn’t quite hide.

It was still the most natural look that Kris had ever seen on Adam Lambert, pictures or not.

“What are you doing here?” Kris finally asked, even as he continued to study the way Lambert seemed to hold himself and making note of the slight twitch of Lambert’s fingers.

“It’s my store,” he said, voice softer than Kris would have expected. “What are you doing here?” His eyes flicked down to the gun that Kris still had a hand on.

Kris raised an eyebrow. “It’s my crime scene.” He tilted his head, studying Adam Lambert. “I’m Lieutenant Kris Allen, Mr. Lambert.”

“The man that’s going to figure out what happened to Drake.”

Something in Lambert’s voice caught his attention and he made a mental note to look into the relationship between him and Drake LaBry.

“Yes,” was all he said. He shifted slightly so that Lambert’s gaze was focused on him rather than the crime scene behind him. “Actually, Mr. Lambert, I was going to contact you about this anyway but if you’re up for it, I could ask you a few questions now instead.” It was extremely likely that if Lambert really was the killer that he’d already worked out an alibi for the time in question. Hell, Kris was betting on it. It’d be his job to find out whether or not he was actually telling the truth.

Lambert stared at him for a few moments before he nodded slowly. He motioned to the hallway behind him. “This way. We can talk in my office,” he said.

Kris glanced around as they walked down the hall, taking note of the fact that these were pictures of people hanging out at parties rather than the promotional photos that were typical of most places.

“A bit late to be here, isn’t it?” he asked as they walked into an office that Kris would never have been able to call plain. Clearly, this was Lambert’s office.

Lambert raised an eyebrow, one corner of his mouth lifting as he sat. “As I said, it’s my store.” He motioned for Kris to sit. “I can be found here at strange hours on any given night.”

Kris kept his gaze steady as he sat down across from Lambert. “Was last night one of them?”

Something flashed through Lambert’s eyes as he stared at Kris. Rather than look away, Kris continued to stare back steadily, waiting for an answer.

“No,” he said, sounding as if he were forcing the answer out through clenched teeth. “Last night was not one of them.”

“Simply a question, Mr. Lambert.” Kris smiled slightly, keeping his voice even. “I have to ask.”

Lambert studied him for a few moments, eyes narrowed before he nodded. “Understood.” He leaned back, looking more in control than he had only a minute before. Kris fought the urge to shift in his seat as Lambert’s eyes ran over him from head to toe before smirking slightly. “Would you like to know if I was alone as well, Lieutenant?”

Heat moved through Kris at the look in Lambert’s eyes and he sent up a brief prayer that his response wasn’t showing on his face at all.

“Yeah,” Kris said, allowing himself to shift slightly so that his badge would be just barely visible. “I would.”

“Yes.” Lambert leaned forward. “I was alone. I stayed home for the night, made a few phone calls, watched a movie and went to bed.” He smiled. “It was a tame night for once.”

Part of Kris was sorely tempted to wipe that smirk off his face by making a remark about how the night hadn’t been tame for Drake but he stopped himself. It wouldn’t do anything but piss the man off, he bet. Instead, he nodded.

“What movie?” he asked.

Lambert frowned. “What does it matter what movie?”

Kris’s lips twitched slightly. “It’s a simple question, Mr. Lambert.” He allowed himself the smallest of smirks. “It should be a simple enough answer.”

Eyes narrowed, Lambert leaned back and muttered something that Kris couldn’t quite make out. He raised an eyebrow again and watched as Lambert clenched his jaw.

“ _Gigli_ ,” he spat. “I watched _Gigli_.”

Kris’s lips twitched again and he nodded, trying to keep his expression as serious as possible. That definitely hadn’t been the answer he’d been expecting.

“I’ll make a note of that.”

“I’ll bet you will,” Lambert muttered. When Kris stared at him, he simply stared back, unapologetic.

“Did you see anyone last night?”

“No.” Lambert stared at him. “I talked to a few on the phone.”

Kris fought the urge to roll his eyes. If he were cynical, he’d say something about how convenient that was.

He wasn’t though, so he didn’t say anything. Out loud, at least.

“I’ll need names.” He reached into his jacket, pulling out a small notepad, noticing the way Lambert’s lips seemed to twitch at the sight.

Lambert nodded. “Kara DioGuardi, Michael Sarver, and Brad Bell,” he said with no hesitation. Kris didn’t let any reaction show but he felt pleased at that. There’d been no signs of lying when Lambert had answered and while Kris wasn’t much of a betting man, he’d bet money that Lambert was telling the truth. Before Kris could ask his next question, Lambert continued, “Kara called to go over some business. She wanted to make sure I didn’t forget about any of the meetings I’ve got coming up next week.” He smiled slightly. “She also wanted to remind me that she’d found someone that she thought would be a good addition to the company. Michael is head of my security; he simply called to check up on me.” His smile grew. “Brad called to bitch about his latest man.”

Kris nodded and flipped the notebook closed. “Thanks.” He glanced back up. “Did you talk to anyone else?”

“No,” Lambert said, shaking his head, the smile from earlier still there in his eyes.

Standing, Kris held out a hand, surprising himself slightly. Lambert was still a suspect and this wasn’t how he acted with suspects. Still, he trusted his gut and his gut was telling him that Lambert hadn’t done it. “If there’s anything else I need to know, I’ll be in touch.”

Some expression that Kris couldn’t identify passed over Lambert’s face. “I’ll walk you out, Lieutenant.”

Kris shook his head, stepping back. “I know the way.” He didn’t wait for a response as he turned and walked out the door. He didn’t let himself relax until he was completely outside and getting into his car. With a sigh, he started the car and began the drive home.

Trying to do anything else today would be pointless until he’d gotten some sleep. Kris knew his limitations and he was rapidly reaching the point where he’d be useless.

Sleep and then he’d start over again.

 

~*~*~

 

Kris hated this place. He looked around the neighborhood and scowled before he turned to look at the house. There was a tricycle on the porch, bright red and with only one scrape on the side. Swallowing, he watched as a car pulled up to the curb. He shook his head, watching the little boy scramble out of the car and wait for the woman to get out as well.

“Don’t go in,” he said. The little boy looked up and Kris stared down into his own face when he’d been four.

“I have to.”

Kris closed his eyes and followed the boy and woman inside. He knew what was coming but a part of him hoped that it would have changed.

Every single time, he hoped that it had changed. It never worked.

There was no answer when the woman knocked on the door and Kris watched as he simply reached out and turned the knob, running inside.

“Momma, I’m home!”

“Kim?” the woman called. “Kim, it’s Lisa, I brought Kris home.”

Kris knew what was coming next. Shaking slightly and hating himself for it, Kris followed himself into the living room and watched as he stopped and stared at his mother’s body on the floor.

“Momma?” The younger Kris ran over and shook her shoulder. “Momma, wake up.” He looked over and Kris followed his gaze, taking in the way his father’s body was laid out, as if he’d been trying to protect his mother. He looked down at the younger version of himself, his stomach churning. “Momma, why won’t you wake up?”

“She had to go away,” Kris said softly.

He looked up at Kris. “I don’t want her to go away. She was going to give me a baby brother. Where’s he?”

“He had to go away too.”

“Daddy will wake them up.” He stood and moved further into the room and Kris wanted to grab him and stop him from looking. Instead, Kris watched and wished that this would stop as he reached out and pushed at his dad’s body until he turned over.

Red, dark red, stained the front of his shirt from where it had flowed out of his throat. Vaguely, Kris registered the woman walking in to the room and screaming, grabbing him and pulling him away as he sobbed and screamed, insisted he could wake Daddy up.

“Always were a spoiled little shit, weren’t you?”

Kris choked on nothing but air and turned around to see his dad shifting and sitting up. “You’re dead. You’re not real.”

The laugh that his dad let out was wet and gurgled and Kris felt like he was going to scream and throw up all at the same time. “You really think that makes a difference? I’m not really dead, son.” His lips twisted. “You know you should have been here with us but you just had to go to that birthday party.”

“Selfish,” his mother added, moving and pushing herself up. “You were so selfish, Kristopher. If you hadn’t begged to go, you’d be with us. The family would still be together.”

“Momma—“

“You left behind your little brother. He never even had a chance, Kristopher. If you’d stayed, maybe you could have played with him.”

“I was four. I was four, what was I supposed to do?”

“That’s no excuse,” his dad said, dragging himself so that he was standing. “No excuse at all, young man.” He walked closer and Kris took a step back, wondering how the hell he could get out of this. He watched as his mother heaved herself to her feet, his father taking the time to make sure she was standing on her own, and it was all so normal that Kris could scream.

“You can still join us, Kristopher. You’re just running a little late, that’s all.”

“No, I can’t. I have a life that I have to go back to.”

“Running around and pretending to be a cop?”

Kris swallowed at the sound of his dad’s voice. He’d never seen his dad look like that. “I am a cop.”

“You think you are but you’re not. You don’t do any good.”

“I help people.” Kris wondered if that desperation in his voice was obvious or if he was just imagining it.

“You couldn’t help us.”

“How could I? I was—“

“Four, so you’ve said. That doesn’t matter.”

“Daddy—“

“You couldn’t help him either, Kristopher,” his mother interrupted. She nodded at something behind him and Kris slowly turned to see what she was nodding at. He let out a breath at the sight of Tim, the young boy that he hadn’t been able to save.

“You let him die. You knew that his dad was ready to snap but you just kept pushing. It’s what you do, isn’t it, Kristopher?”

“I think it’s time you learned your lesson.”

Kris’s eyes widened when he felt a hand grip the back of his neck tightly and he felt the old, familiar panic well up inside him as he opened his mouth to shout—

Kris’s eyes flew open and he jerked up, shoving at the covers as he frantically sucked in a breath. He practically fell out of the bed, swearing when the sheets tangled around his legs, causing him to stumble.

“Lights,” he muttered, slapping at the light switch and squinting as the room was flooded with light. His breath slowing slightly, he went into the bathroom and turned the cold water on, letting it run for a few seconds before splashing his face. The cold helped wake him up completely and he took a deep breath, looking in the mirror to watch the way the water ran down his face and dripped on to the counter. He shook his head and closed his eyes, pushing away the nausea that always came with the nightmare.

“Just a dream,” he told himself, making sure to keep his voice steady. “Just a dream.”

He took a deep breath and then turned the shower on, twisting the handle to make the water as hot as he could handle it.

He wasn’t going back to sleep any time soon, after all, he might as well get a start on the day.

 

~*~*~

 

“You look like shit.”

Kris raised an eyebrow as he paused in the doorway of the lab. “Thanks, Misha. I’m touched, really,” he said. Misha smirked in response and lifted a shoulder in a half shrug.

“I just call it like I see it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Kris fought the urge to roll his eyes. Coming to the lab was always an experience. Misha Collins was brilliant in the lab and always blunt with a sense of humor that usually snuck up on a person.

“Let me guess, you’re hoping I worked miracles for you.”

“It’d be nice,” Kris admitted. “But I’ll settle for whatever you’ve got right now.” When Misha opened his mouth to answer, Kris quickly added, “In terms I can understand.”

Misha smirked. “You spoil all my fun, Allen.”

“I feel horrible,” Kris deadpanned.

“You should, I control what you know.” Misha turned and gestured to the objects that he had laid out in front of him. “There were bits of thread that caught on the dagger. At first, I thought that maybe it was from something that had been used to wipe any fingerprints off. But the threads didn’t match any of the fabric that was lying around or that you brought me. The fabric that those threads came from is something more common, like cotton.”

Kris nodded. “Okay, and you don’t think it was used to wipe off the fingerprints, why?”

Misha smiled slightly and leaned forward. “Because I found a fingerprint, one that was clear enough for me to run and I was even able to get a match.”

“Who?” Kris straightened as he asked.

Misha smiled slightly. “Adam Lambert.”

It felt like a punch to the gut and Kris gave himself a mental slap. “Are you sure?” he asked, voice low.

Misha stared at him for a few moments, studying him, before he nodded. “I’m sure.” He straightened and looked back at Kris. “Allen.” He didn’t say anything else.

“I’m fine.” Kris took a deep breath. “I need to go, check into a few things.” He nodded at Misha as he turned and walked out of the lab, feeling the anger beginning to build up inside him.

He thought of the day before and Lambert’s alibi, how he hadn’t tried to come up with something that other people could totally confirm. His gut had told him that Lambert was telling the truth and damn it, he hated to think that he’d been wrong.

Kris let out a slow breath as he walked outside and closed his eyes.

Lambert’s fingerprint was on the murder weapon.

Lambert claimed that he’d talked to three people the night before and then gone to bed after watching a movie alone.

His gut was still telling him that Lambert was telling the truth.

Kris closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the anger to the side. He had to think about this calmly if he was going to get anything done. He couldn’t run on emotions when it came to this, hell, he shouldn’t even have emotions when it came to this. He barely knew Adam Lambert.

He was going to treat this the way he would any other case. He’d follow the evidence and he’d find a way to follow his gut and he’d make sure that Drake LaBry got justice.

 

~*~*~

 

Anoop looked up when Kris leaned against the side of the desk. “I was able to trace some of LaBry’s movements from yesterday,” he said. Kris looked up.

“What’d you find out?”

“He worked only part-time at Asper but was always willing to work hard. He also had his own small business that was picking up.”

“What kind of business?”

“Interior design.” Anoop nodded at the paper in front of him. “That’s just the start of the background, really.”

“Give me the basics,” Kris said.

“Age, twenty-four. He’s been living in the same apartment for the last year and he used to work at Asper full-time before he went part-time and started his own business about a year and a half ago.” Anoop paused and raised an eyebrow, drawing out the moment. “That’s not the best part though.”

Kris simply turned to face him more fully. “I’ll bet you’re just dying to tell me.”

“Drake LaBry and Adam Lambert dated for over a year before they broke up last year.” Anoop waggled his eyebrows as Kris leaned back and took in the information.

“Well, that’s very interesting,” Kris muttered, thinking back on his meeting. “Lambert failed to mention that.”

“Maybe there’s a reason why.”

Kris returned the look. “Let’s find out.” He pushed away. “We’ll start by verifying Lambert’s story. But first, I’ll fill you in on what we’ve got so far.”

 

~*~*~

 

Kris had no problem admitting to himself that Kara DioGuardi was the type of woman who completely creeped him out. She was sharp, in the way she dressed, hell, even in the way she looked. Kris couldn’t help the thought that if he got too close, he’d start bleeding from a cut.

He stared at her, taking in the way her eyes moved over Anoop before they moved to him and he fought the urge to shift. She made him feel like she was trying to decide just what exactly she wanted to do to him.

Definitely not the most comfortable feeling in the world.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet us, Ms. DioGuardi,” Anoop said. She turned her head slightly to stare at him for a moment before her lips curved slightly and she nodded.

“Of course, Detective.” Her gaze shifted back to Kris. “Though I’m not quite sure what I can possibly tell you about that night.”

Kris returned her smile and inclined his head slightly. “Why don’t we start with where you were early yesterday morning around 1:30?”

Surprise showed clearly on her face as she glanced between the two of them. “Am I a suspect?” she asked. Kris held back the urge to snort at such a typical question coming from a woman that he was fairly certain made sure she was anything but predictable usually.

“It’s just routine,” Anoop assured her, picking up on Kris’s thoughts easily with only a glance. They watched as she relaxed slightly.

“Oh,” she said. Kris watched as she considered her next words with a slight frown. “I had a dinner party last night.” She smiled again. “You know how those can get. I don’t think I got home until close to 3:00 this morning.”

“Must have been one hell of a dinner party.” Kris merely raised his eyebrows when she looked at him.

“It was,” was all she said, a slight edge to her voice.

“While you were at the party, did Adam Lambert ever show up?”

“No.”

“Did you speak to him at any point?”

“Yes.” Once again, she didn’t elaborate.

Kris nodded. “When?”

She thought about it for a moment. “It was before the party had really started. I wanted to talk to him about someone new that I thought he needed to consider for the company.”

“Thank you.” Kris offered her a smile that he knew for a fact relaxed people and let them think they were off the hook. “Ms. DioGuardi, what exactly is it that you do for Mr. Lambert?”

She met his gaze with one of her own. “I suppose you could say I’m a recruiter or a scout. I look for designers that I think would be a good match with the company and that I think Adam would enjoy working with.”

This time it was Anoop that smiled at her. “Thank you again, Ms. DioGuardi.” He and Kris stood up. “If we have anything else, we’ll let you know.”

“Thank you.” She stood. “I’ll walk you out.”

 

~*~*~

 

“So,” Kris said as he and Anoop got into the car.

“She’s hiding something.” Anoop nodded. “Not sure what but she’s hiding something.”

Kris nodded in agreement. “Exactly.” He didn’t look back, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing him wonder if she was looking out the window. “The question is, does whatever it is she’s hiding have anything to do with the case?”

Anoop considered this. “It could. Hard to tell after just the one meeting but I’m thinking with a lady that sharp, it definitely could.”

Kris snorted as he pulled into traffic. “You thought so, too, then.” He grinned when Anoop settled back and made a Duh motion with his hand.

“Yeah.” He frowned slightly. “I don’t know how to explain it, really, but there’s something about her that just says we need to keep an eye on her.”

“Maybe you’re just being paranoid,” Kris suggested, deciding to play devil’s advocate.

“No,” Anoop said, shaking his head. “I don’t think I am. It’s not just a random feeling. Did you hear the way her tone changed slightly when you asked about talking to Lambert? There’s something there, I just can’t place it. It was almost like she was smug but that could be chalked up to the business she called him about.”

Kris smiled. “Good.” He glanced over as he switched lanes. “That’s good.”

Anoop stared at him for a few minutes and then narrowed his eyes, lips twitching. “You were testing me.”

“Was I?” Kris raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Yeah, you were, despite the fact that I’ve long since passed my detective’s exam and earned that promotion.”

Laughing, Kris lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, well, I can’t help it.”

Anoop settled back in and smirked at Kris. “So, admit it, while you were in there, you wondered what she’d be like in bed.”

Kris winced. For being one of the smartest people he knew, Anoop took extreme pleasure in talking about his sex life in front of Kris just to get a reaction. Not to mention the fun he had asking about Kris’ sex life.

“I really didn’t.”

“I think she’d be bossy. Very into bondage and things like that. Total kink.”

“Why are you talking?”

“You know, Megan and I talked about it—“

“Finish that sentence, Desai, and they’ll never find the body.”

Turning back to look out the windshield, Anoop snickered.

 

~*~*~

 

Brad Bell was glittery and loud and just a bit too much for Kris’s tastes but that didn’t change the fact that one of the first things Kris did was notice his eyes and check out the man’s cheekbones. He didn’t think it was conceited to say that Brad was checking Kris out right back. Anoop had looked like he was fighting not to start laughing since not long after they’d walked in.

“Well,” Brad dropped gracefully to the couch, in a way that Kris knew he’d never manage, “it’s not every day that two sexy cops appear on my doorstep.” He smiled slightly. “So, what can I do for you?”

It was a simple question and one that was nearly word for word what Kara DioGuardi had asked earlier but there was something about the way Brad said it that made Kris want to shift in his seat and possibly cross his legs. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Anoop was in a similar situation, which was a first. For a moment, Kris had to fight back the amusement he felt at that before he turned back to Brad.

“Mr. Bell—“

He made a face. “Please. It’s Cheeks.” He laughed at the look Kris gave him. “Fine, I’ll let you call me Brad.”

“Generous of you,” Kris said.

Brad grinned. “Oh, Lieutenant Sassy, I like you.”

Next to him, Anoop snorted and Kris turned to give him a hard look. Anoop simply smiled.

“Brad,” Kris started again, fighting back a sigh because, yes, he already liked the guy but this was still a murder investigation, “can you tell us where you were yesterday morning? Around 1:30 to be exact?”

“Drowning my sorrows.” He tilted his head. “Well, it was more I was flaunting myself to show my ex just what he was missing. Bastard.” He sighed. “I didn’t get home until a little after 3:00.”

Anoop nodded. “Were you alone?” he asked.

Brad didn’t even blink at the question. “No,” was all he said.

“We’ll need the name of the person who came home with you.”

Brad gave them a pained look. “Are you serious? You go and interrogate them and I’m never going to convince them to see me again.”

“We’re not going to interrogate them,” Kris assured him. “But we do need to verify your story.”

Brad sighed. “Fine. His name is Mark Salling.” He held out a hand for Kris’s notebook, wiggling his fingers. “Well? Don’t you want his number?”

Kris studied him for a moment before turning to a blank page and handing over the notebook. He knew that Anoop would understand the gesture for what it was—a sign that he believed Brad hadn’t had anything to do with the murder but that he wasn’t going to fully eliminate him from the list of suspects until they’d talked to Mark Salling.

Brad smiled brightly as he scrawled Mark Salling’s number on the paper before handing the notebook back. Kris glanced down and his lips twitched at the note beneath the number.

 _You want my number, you just let me know, Lieutenant Sassy. You can frisk me._

Clearly, Brad wasn’t shy.

He lifted his gaze and let one corner of his mouth lift before he turned back to the previous page. “Thank you, Brad.” He twirled the pen once. “Just a few more questions and we’ll wrap it up.” Off of Brad’s nod, he continued, “Did you know Drake LaBry well?”

“Not well but we had some mutual friends so I’d definitely met him a few times.” After a moment of looking between the two of them, he added, “If you’re trying to ask if we were ever involved, the answer is no. I don’t poach and I’m nobody’s rebound.” He nodded. “And since you’re not asking me to elaborate, I’m guessing you already know what I mean so why don’t we get on with the questions?”

“Did you talk to Adam Lambert last night?”

For a moment, Brad’s surprise at the question showed and then his expression smoothed out and he simply nodded. “Yeah, I called him.”

“And what did you talk about?” Anoop asked.

Brad laughed. “Oh, I spent most of the time ranting about what an asshole Chace was.” He waved his hand through the air. “Adam was nice and supportive and all that crap by completely agreeing with me that Chace never deserved me. Then we made plans for the weekend and after we hung up, I found Mark at the club and,” Brad slowly grinned, “I think you can guess where it went from there.”

“I’m sure we can,” Kris said. “No need to go into details, Mr. Bell.”

Before Kris or Anoop could continue, Brad gave them both an appraising look. “So, are you trying to figure out if I killed Drake or if Adam did? Because I could see you questioning me for either one even if I don’t quite understand why you would even suspect me in the first place.”

“You dated Adam Lambert as well, didn’t you?”

Brad stared at him for a moment and then threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, Lieutenant Sassy, if you think I’d kill over a man, you’re very much mistaken,” he finally said. “I might threaten to kill him but kill over him? No.”

Anoop raised an eyebrow. “No jealousy at all?”

Brad gave him a knowing smile. “I never said that. I’m a jealous bitch. Adam and I were intense and we had to work damn hard to remain friends but we eventually managed it. But just because we managed to become friends doesn’t mean I didn’t want to go after the new guy he was getting serious about. Still, I wouldn’t kill him.”

Studying him, Kris couldn’t find any signs that he wasn’t telling the truth. Maybe he was off but he didn’t think so. Instead of continuing with more questions, he nodded. “Thank you, Brad. We’ll be in touch if we need to ask you any other questions.”

The smile on Brad’s face turned into a slight smirk. “Oh, anytime. I mean it.” He stood at the same time that they did and then walked them to the door. “That goes for you too,” he told Anoop, waggling his eyebrows. “I like a tall man.”

Anoop’s eyes widened briefly even as he glanced at Kris, who merely smirked before they left. Neither of them said anything as they walked down the stairs of the apartment building until they reached the lobby.

“So, I didn’t think tiny and looking like they could be related to you was your type.” Anoop grinned when Kris faltered for a moment before he turned and narrowed his eyes.

“It’s not.” Eyes glinting with sudden mischief, Kris let his eyes rake over Anoop. “He’s not the only one that likes his men tall, you know.”

Anoop’s jaw dropped. “What? Sir,” he said, slipping in to the habit from when he’d first started working with Kris, “you’re kidding me, right?”

Kris merely looked at him before turning back to the car, fighting not to laugh.

He loved when he managed to get that reaction from Anoop.

 

~*~*~

 

“You can’t still be going on about that,” Kris said, glancing up at Anoop.

“You hit on me.”

“No. I implied something. I never actually hit on you.”

Anoop stared down at him. “You hit on me,” he repeated. “It was strange and I’ve processed the fact that you, of all people, hit on me. You, who usually keeps to himself rather than going around flirting with people.”

Kris let out a sigh and shook his head. “Impressions?”

“Well, I think if you looked at any self-respecting gay man the way you looked at me—“

“Desai.”

Blinking, Anoop stopped and then ran a hand through his hair, immediately switching to business. “He’s telling the truth.” He settled back in his seat. “About all of it. He wasn’t bullshitting us when he told us that he’d been with Lambert and that he was jealous.”

“You think that makes him innocent.”

“No.” Anoop shook his head. “I think that means he’s telling the truth and that makes him smart. He could be innocent but not lying to our faces doesn’t mean anything.”

Kris couldn’t stop the small burst of pride at that. When he’d started, Anoop had wanted to look for the best in everybody and while Kris understood that, he’d also wanted Anoop to remember that, sometimes, people knew exactly what buttons to push. Anoop had had more book smarts than street smarts at first and Kris was just happy that Anoop had learned how to combine the two so quickly. It made him a hell of a detective.

“Good.” Kris nodded in approval and glanced over at Anoop out of the corner of his eye. “For the record, I think you’re right. We’re going to look more into Lambert’s story and see if the rest of it adds up.”

“So far, it does.” Anoop shrugged. “I guess the ex-boyfriend doing it was too obvious.”

Kris shook his head. “Don’t assume that. Just because it seems too obvious doesn’t mean it could be exactly that.” He glanced at the clock. “Come on, we have enough time to go see Michael Sarver.”

 

~*~*~

 

Michael Sarver was, to put it simply, a big guy. He looked like the football players that Kris had always tried to avoid in high school and there was something that he just didn’t want to think about.

Except that it’s pretty clear that while the man is tough and definitely capable of being Adam Lambert’s head of security, he’s also a bit of a teddy bear, which becomes obvious in the way he acts around his kids before he sends them to another room to play.

Still, even teddy bears can get violent so Kris was going to reserve judgment.

“Mr. Sarver, I’m sure you already know why we’re here,” Anoop said.

Sarver nodded and leaned back against the table. “Yeah. I’m guessing you’re here about Drake.”

“We need to ask you a few questions,” Kris told him, pulling out his notebook and flipping to a blank page. When Sarver nodded, he continued, “We’ll start with the obvious one of asking where you were at 1:30 yesterday morning?”

“I was with my wife,” Sarver told them. “Asleep in bed, here at home.”

“Mr. Sarver, how long have you worked for Adam Lambert?” Kris asked.

There was a few moments of consideration before Sarver said, “About five years. I’ve been working with him since the beginning.” His lips twisted into a small smile. “Since Asper was nothing more than half a floor in an anonymous office building.”

Briefly, Kris thought of a younger Adam Lambert, one who hadn’t been through the ups and downs of Hollywood just yet before he gave himself a mental shake. That kind of stuff didn’t matter.

“Would you say he was serious about Drake LaBry?”

Sarver tensed slightly. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

“You don’t need to,” Kris said, voice even. Beside him, he could tell Anoop was surprised though he didn’t show it. Hell, Kris was already mentally swearing at himself. He didn’t need to know how serious they’d been, just that they’d been dating before and he’d already had that confirmation before they’d gotten there.

Though he clearly wasn’t happy about it, Sarver still answered the question. “Yes,” he said. “Adam was serious about him. Maybe not as serious as he could be but he was serious enough.”

Kris told himself to move on and let out a breath. “Okay, and did there seem to be any hard feelings after the break up? Beyond the usual awkwardness that usually happens,” he added.

Shit, he’d meant to move on from that.

“At first, of course. But Adam’s the type of guy who somehow manages to stay friends with his exes. It’s weird but it works for them.” Sarver smiled. “He even helped Drake start up his own business.”

Anoop nodded and, before Kris could say anything else, asked, “Mr. Sarver, did you speak to Mr. Lambert last night at any time?”

“I did. I called to check that everything was okay at his apartment around 11:00 after I’d made my final rounds at Asper. I always call to let him know how things at the store are and to make sure that there’s nothing else that needs to be taken care of.”

Kris remembered how Adam—Christ, when had he become Adam?—had worded it when he’d questioned him.

 _“Michael is head of my security; he simply called to check up on me.”_

Kris had the feeling that Sarver did that a lot while pretending to just be letting him know what had happened.

“Did you know Drake LaBry very well, Mr. Sarver?”

Sarver thought about it and then gave a slight shrug. “I knew him well enough. He was dating Adam so he was around a lot, you know? If you’re asking me whether we were friends, then no. But we didn’t hate each other either.” He sighed. “I’m not explaining it right, I don’t think, but I guess you could just say we only knew each other a little. Friendly acquaintances would probably be the best way to describe it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sarver,” Kris said. He stood and motioned at Anoop that they were done. “If we have anything else, we’ll contact you.”

Sarver stared at the two of them for a moment before nodding, a look of suspicion in his eyes. They began to walk to the door and Sarver walked ahead of them to open it and let them out.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again,” he said as they walked passed him. Rather than answer, Kris just gave him a look before continuing outside.

He could feel Anoop looking at him and he deliberately kept his gaze trained forward. He refused to give Anoop anything else to think about.

“Sir—“

“I thought I told you a long time ago not to call me that,” Kris interrupted.

Anoop narrowed his eyes briefly. “Allen,” he said, emphasizing the name, “what was that?” When Kris didn’t answer, he reached out and pulled him to a stop. “Allen.”

Kris wrenched his arm out of Anoop’s grasp. “It was nothing,” he snapped. “I asked some questions to get a better idea of what might have happened. It’s called investigating, Desai, maybe you’ve heard of it.”

“What I heard was you asking personal questions about the victim and our number one suspect.” He turned to face Kris more fully. “And I get that that’s what we’re supposed to do but I think we both know that there was more to it than that this time. Don’t tell me there wasn’t, I could tell.”

“Well, I guess that’s where you need to work on your observation skills because there was nothing different about the questions I asked. Now, if it doesn’t interfere with you trying to read something in every little thing I do, we’ve got a murder investigation to get back to.” Kris didn’t say anything as he turned and cut his way through the people on the street as he headed to the car. Behind him, he knew Anoop would be following him and he fought the urge to sigh. He knew that Anoop’s questions had been valid but he wasn’t going to think about that right now.

Right now, he was going to concentrate on the fact that while Adam’s story added up, it didn’t change the fact that he would have still had time to kill Drake and leave the store with no one seeing him. To top that off, the murder weapon had his prints on it.

Still, Kris’s gut told him that Adam was innocent and he couldn’t be sure if that was because it was true or because he wanted it to be true.

Something wasn’t adding up and Kris was going to find out what.


	2. Chapter 2

“Allen,” Cowell said, walking up to them as he and Anoop entered the station.

“Commander.” Kris nodded and paused in walking towards his office. He didn’t have anything that couldn’t wait, he knew. Once they’d gotten into his office, he and Anoop would have avoided talking about what had happened earlier while going over Kris’s notes and discussing their impressions of the three interviews, trying to see if there was anything more to anything that had been said.

Cowell jerked his head towards Kris’s office, motioning for him to enter first and indicating that Anoop should go to his desk. Immediately, Kris knew that this was about his session with the shrink. He swore silently.

“Commander,” he repeated. “What can I do for you?”

“Report first, Allen.” Cowell stayed standing, walking over to the window and raising an eyebrow. “Not much of a view.”

Kris followed his gaze and took in the familiar sight of the stone building that his window faced, surprised that Cowell had even commented on it. He wasn’t one to make small talk usually. “I don’t mind,” was all he said. He waited a few more beats before speaking up. “Sir?”

Cowell nodded. “Report, Allen.”

Kris began to talk, explaining everything that he and Anoop had done already. He told Cowell about each talk, starting with his talk with Adam and going through each of the interviews that he and Anoop had done.

“Your thoughts, Allen?”

Kris blinked, fighting not to let his surprise show. “Sir?”

Cowell raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe I stuttered, Lieutenant. I asked for your thoughts.”

“I think Lambert is innocent,” Kris said bluntly.

“The evidence says something different.”

“I don’t care, sir. I know what the evidence looks like, sir, but my gut tells me that Lambert didn’t do it. It doesn’t feel right to me. We’re missing something.”

“Find out what and prove it, Allen.” Cowell turned and headed back towards the door before pausing. “You’ve got a session tomorrow. I suggest you relax tonight.” It was all he said before he walked out of the office and Kris knew that it was his way of telling Kris he was done for the night.

Kris nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He watched as Cowell walked out and then shifted his gaze when Anoop walked in.

“Well?” was all he said.

“We’ve got the rest of the night off,” Kris told him. “I’ve got a session tomorrow.”

Anoop nodded. “I was surprised that they managed to put it off for this long. Usually you have to go in right away,” he admitted.

“Yeah, not sure how Cowell managed to postpone it for even a day.” Kris let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

Neither of them said anything and Kris considered breaking the slightly awkward silence when Anoop spoke up.

“Giraud and Archie are going to the Pirate’s Cove for drinks at the end of shift,” he told Kris. “We’re invited.”

Kris grinned as he thought of the small club and, more importantly, the girl that worked there, the girl that had unexpectedly become his best friend.

“I’m in.”

 

~*~*~

 

“Oh my,” Matt declared dramatically as Kris walked in. “Do my eyes deceive me or is that Kris Allen, gracing us with his presence? I may swoon!”

Kris snorted as he slid into a chair at the table. “Fuck you,” he said.

“Such language, Kristopher Allen.”

Anoop smirked as he leaned forward in his seat. “Glad you made it,” was all he said and just like that, Kris knew he was willing to overlook what had happened earlier.

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“You better not, Kris, or I’d be so pissed at you,” Allison Iraheta said, raising her voice so he’d be able to hear her even over the music. Laughing, she leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Archie’s mouth before wrapping her arms around Kris in a tight hug.

“Have I ever missed it when you debuted a new song?” Kris asked, squeezing her briefly. He closed his eyes for a moment and smiled against her hair. Nights like this, going out with the others, were the best way for him to forget about the nightmares.

“I’ll beat you up if you ever do.” She stepped back, settling against Archie.

“She could do it, Allen, so I’d be careful if I were you,” Jensen said as he walked up to the table, arm wrapped around Jared’s waist. Kris grinned at the sight of them.

“Shut up, Ackles.”

“That’s such a witty comeback, I don’t know how we keep up with you.”

Jared rolled his eyes at the two of them and reached out to grab one of the many beers on the table. Kris figured he probably should have realized that these two were coming—there was no way that all that beer would be just for the five of them.

“You guys are all morons. I’m not sure why I’m friends with any of you,” Jared announced before taking a drink and dropping on to a chair.

“Because your other choices are dead people,” Matt told him.

“No,” Allison interrupted. “No work talk tonight. It’s your night off, remember?”

“Gosh, babe, if they don’t talk about work, they might not know what to talk about,” Archie said, widening his eyes to look as innocent as possible. Kris snorted. Archie may be a nice kid but he could be a bit of a smart ass when he wanted to be.

Allison giggled, honest to God giggled, at the look on their faces and took a drink of water. She glanced over at the sound of her name and nodded at the bartender. “I’m up,” she said, kissing Archie again before running towards the stage.

Kris felt himself beginning to relax as the lights dimmed and Allison stepped up to the microphone. The lights came back slowly as the opening notes of the song filled the room and she began to sing the newest song she’d added to her set.

“He always takes it with a heart of stone...”

He grinned a bit smugly at the fact that she’d used the song that he had insisted would be perfect for her voice. Judging by the look on Archie’s face, he’d been right. He began to look around the room, taking pleasure in the look on everyone’s face as they listened to Allison sing. Hell, he couldn’t wait until the day someone figured out just how talented she actually was.

Kris froze briefly when his eyes landed on Adam Lambert leaning against the far wall and both his eyebrows shot up when Adam slowly smiled at him.

His eyes narrowed as he stared back at him and before he could even think of standing and going over there, Adam simply nodded at him before pushing away from the wall and walking out of the bar.

 

~*~*~

 

The cool air felt good on Adam’s face and he closed his eyes for a moment before he let out a slow breath and headed for his car, mind still on Kris Allen.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Stop thinking about him, Lambert,” he ordered himself. Not that it would do any good since he knew himself well enough to know that Kris Allen had gotten him curious with that shift between focused cop and someone who just might be interested.

He frowned and shook his head at himself as he got into his car and pulled out his phone, dialing a familiar number. He paused while he listened to the phone ring on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Michael, everything okay?”

“Adam.” Michael sounded slightly surprised and, really, Adam couldn’t blame him. It was usually Michael calling Adam to check on him. But Adam needed to know a few things this time.

“Yeah, not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked, smiling a bit.

Michael laughed. “No,” he said. “You’re not. And everything’s fine.”

Adam glanced back at the bar. “No surprise visitors?” He, obviously, knew the answer but he couldn’t let Michael know that.

“No.” There was a pause. “Did the police come to see you?”

Adam smiled slightly. “Well, let’s just say that Lieutenant Allen and I have met.”

“Ah.” Michael’s tone went from curious to knowing. “He asked about you.”

Now Adam was interested. “Really? What did he say?” Besides checking on his story, which Adam would bet money was exactly what Lieutenant Allen had been doing. He didn’t seem like the type to waste time.

“I got the feeling they were trying to make sure you were telling the truth—“

“They?” he interrupted.

“He and his partner. They came and asked a few questions but I got the feeling that some of the questions the lieutenant was asking were a surprise to his partner.”

Adam considered this. “What kind of questions?”

“About you and Drake, your relationship.” Michael sounded sorry he even had to tell Adam what was going on.

Almost automatically, Adam shoved the pain that the thought of Drake brought. They hadn’t been as close as he and Brad had ended up being but they’d still managed to salvage the friendship and Adam had been happy to continue helping Drake out, recommending his business to friends that he knew wanted their house redone.

“Anything in particular?” he managed.

“How serious the two of you were, how close you’d been, things like that.”

Slowly, Adam smiled as he thought about that. “Thanks, Michael. I’ve got to go, okay? I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up and leaned back.

He could work with that.

 

~*~*~

 

Kris scowled at the door in front of him and fought not to sigh. This was necessary. It always was. After all, without this, he wouldn’t technically be allowed back on active duty.

Of course, he wasn’t supposed to be on active duty right now anyway, yet there he was, already on another case.

“Mr. Allen?”

Kris turned and gave Katy a small smile. “Yes?”

“You can go in. She’s expecting you,” she said, nodding at the door and covering the mouth of the phone with one hand. Without another word, she turned back to the phone. “I will. Yes and then your next appointment isn’t until later this evening.”

Kris barely held back the groan as he knocked once and then walked in to the door. No appointments until later meant that he could be stuck there for hours if she decided that it was the best way to determine his state of mind.

Dr. Paula Abdul smiled widely at him as she hung up the phone and motioned him inside. “Hello, Kris. Please, come in, have a seat.” She watched him carefully. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked.

He considered and then nodded, knowing that it was a small concession. Dr. Abdul always treated him well and always seemed like she was seconds away from mothering him. Outside of the office, she seemed like a bit of a space cadet, trying to remember where she’d placed things or saying things that had once had him wondering if she ever took some of the pills she sometimes prescribed.

Still, she was a good person so while he complained and dreaded these appointments like everyone else, he didn’t actually mind her.

“Thanks, Dr. Abdul,” he said quietly, taking the bottle of water she held out.

“I’m out of coffee,” she told him in apology. “I meant to get some yesterday but I completely forgot to stop on my way home.”

Kris fought the urge to laugh and instead allowed a small smile. He knew this routine well though he’d only had to come see Dr. Abdul twice before after taking down a suspect.

“Water’s fine.” He shifted back into his chair. “No offense, Dr. Abdul, but I’ve already got another case I need to be working on. How long is this going to take?”

She gave him a sharp look that made him want to wince. “As long as necessary, Kris. I’m sure Detective Desai is perfectly capable of going over the evidence and sorting out what your next lead might be.” She put her own water to the side. “Now, how have you been sleeping? It’s only been a couple of days.”

“I’ve only had time to sleep once since then, honestly. But I’m fine.”

Rather than say what he was sure she really wanted to say, Dr. Abdul merely raised an eyebrow and said, “Really?”

He twisted the bottle of water in his hands. “I slept enough.”

“Kris.” She gave him a look that told him she wasn’t buying it. “How did you really sleep?”

Kris didn’t answer, looking to the right instead. He knew that his refusal to say anything would be enough of an answer but a part of him didn’t feel comfortable leaving it at that so he didn’t fight back the sigh this time. He closed his eyes, remembering what it had been like to revisit his parents’ deaths.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” he finally said. “It was just a nightmare.” He swallowed back the nausea that came with remembering the sound of his dad’s laugh. “That’s all.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

He turned to look at her sharply. “I’m not trying to convince anyone. I’m just stating a fact.”

“Kris,” she said. “The nightmare was the same one as before?” She looked down at the file and Kris realized that he had to have been more out of it than he thought for not noticing that before. “The one about your parents?”

Kris stiffened. Logically, he knew that he’d told her about this dream but that didn’t mean he had to like talking about it yet.

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Was there anything different this time? Or was it like before?”

He hesitated for a few moments and then shook his head. “It was different. Tim was there.”

“Tim,” she said. “Wasn’t that the name of the little boy that was killed?”

Kris nodded. “Yeah.” He licked his lips. “That’s him.”

She didn’t say anything at first and he had a feeling that she was waiting for him to say something. Rather than give her what she wanted, he took a drink of water and stayed silent, refusing to elaborate. She let out a breath. “Why was he there?”

A slight frown appeared on Kris’s face. “I don’t know.”

“I think you do.” She folded her hands on top of her desk. “I think you know but you don’t want to say it.” She leaned forward. “Sometimes, though, you need to say it, Kris.”

Kris swallowed. “I don’t want to say it,” he admitted and she smiled. She’d once told him that the first step to getting over something was to stop denying it so he assumed admitting that he was a bit of a coward over one little nightmare was considered progress.

“That’s okay. I get that, I do. But wanting something and needing it are two different things.”

Unbidden, the image of Adam Lambert leaning against the wall at the Pirate’s Cove came to mind and he gave himself a mental slap. There was no reason to be thinking about him. Hell, he’d only officially met the man once and, to top it all off, he was a suspect in the murder he was investigating.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, especially after that brief look he’d gotten of him at the Pirate’s Cove.

“Kris?”

He looked up and realized that Dr. Abdul had been trying to get his attention. He blinked a few times, clearing his mind. “Sorry,” he said.

She shook her head. “It’s okay. If you don’t mind me asking, where’d you go just now?”

“I went back,” was all he told her. It wasn’t a lie, he had gone back, but he knew that she’d assume he meant back to the nightmare rather than thinking of Adam Lambert, which was just fine with him.

Dr. Abdul nodded and waited a few moments. “Kris,” she repeated, “why was Tim in your nightmare?”

He stayed silent for another few moments again before finally he let out a breath. “Because I couldn’t save him and I couldn’t save his dad. Just like I couldn’t save my parents.”

“We’ve gone over that, Kris. You were just a child; there was nothing you could have done.”

His hand clenched around the bottle of water and he stood abruptly, walking over to stare at a painting she had hanging. “You think I don’t know that? Logically, I know that I couldn’t do anything back then. If I’d been home, I’d have been dead too. It doesn’t change the fact that I wish I could have done something.” He turned back to her. “I already know why I became a cop, Dr. Abdul. That day was the start of it and I know that another part of it is because of what happened to me in foster care. I know all that. I know that’s the reason that I do this, that I’m trying to save as many people as I can because I screwed up.” He stopped and let out a shuddering breath. “I know all of that, Dr. Abdul. It doesn’t change anything.”

She stood and walked around the desk to put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s where you’re wrong. The fact that you know that, that you can say that, means you’re aware and you can work through it. You can start to heal.” She motioned for him to sit back down. “Now, why don’t we sit back down and you can tell me what happened,” she suggested.

Kris let out a slow breath and then nodded, preparing to go over the night Tim had died and the nightmare again.

 

~*~*~

 

He’d been approved to be on active duty less than a week ago and Kris could honestly say that he felt like he hadn’t gotten much further in the investigation. Mark Salling had been perfectly willing to answer his questions, which was a nice change of pace, and had confirmed Brad’s story.

Though he knew he’d been putting it off, he’d waited long enough to talk to Adam Lambert. He needed to get answers.

Kris pushed away from his desk and briefly considered getting Anoop before deciding against it. Anoop had already put in plenty of extra hours and Kris was pretty sure that tonight was the night that he’d been talking about taking Megan and her son to dinner. He shook his head as he walked out of his office, glancing in the direction of Anoop’s desk, confirming that he was already gone.

He didn’t speak as he left the station, heading straight for his car, frowning at the scratch on the side. He was pretty sure that hadn’t been there earlier.

“Damn it,” he muttered. He sighed as he slid behind the steering wheel, contemplating what he’d say once he arrived at Asper before he scowled at himself. It didn’t matter what he said. He was there to ask the man some questions, nothing more.

Kris groaned as he dropped his head to the steering wheel. Now if only he believed that.

 

~*~*~

 

Adam—Lambert, Kris corrected himself—was sitting at his desk, looking over something that Kris was sure he would never understand when he walked in, manila folder in hand.

Slowly, Adam smiled. “Lieutenant,” he said, standing. “As much as I’d like to think you’re here just because you want to see me, I have a feeling you’re here on business.”

Kris had the sudden urge to stick his hands in his pockets the way he used to when he was a teenager and he gave himself a mental shake. This was not the time to show nerves or anything but professionalism.

“Mr. Lambert,” he greeted, nodding his head. “I actually came because I had a few more questions for you.”

Lambert raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to sit, looking amused when Kris hesitated. That look alone was enough to have Kris narrowing his eyes as he sat down.

“Well, what can I do for you today?” he asked. Kris got the distinct feeling that if it were any other situation; he’d have asked Kris what he could do to him instead.

Kris reached inside the folder and pulled out a picture of the dagger. “I was hoping you could tell me if you recognize this, Mr. Lambert.” He held the picture out, watching carefully for any reaction as Lambert took the picture. He wasn’t disappointed.

Lambert’s eyes widened slightly, recognition clear in them as he studied the picture. “It’s mine,” he said. “Where did you—“He stopped and looked up. “Was it here?” He didn’t need to say anything else; Kris understood the question and nodded.

“Yes.”

Swearing, Lambert stood quickly and paced behind his desk for a few moments before he swung to face Kris.

“You think I did it.” It wasn’t a question. “You actually think I’m capable of killing Drake and that I was stupid enough to use my own dagger to do it.”

Briefly, Kris considered telling Lambert that he believed him. Only briefly because he knew he might get more by playing along. “Maybe I do. Your fingerprints were on the dagger after all.”

Lambert stared at him, crossing his arms. “Obviously since the dagger is mine,” he snapped before he took a deep breath and looked away. Kris couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over the curve of where neck met shoulder. He blinked and shifted his gaze, his eyes meeting Lambert’s.

Shit, he had not meant to be caught staring.

“I reported it missing,” he said. “Almost a month ago. Feel free to check it out but I’m telling the truth.”

Kris didn’t say that he knew that but it was close and that fact alone was frustrating. He didn’t trust easily and he didn’t see what made Lambert so different from the rest.

“I’ll look into it.” He stood, fully intending to get out so that he could go make sure that Lambert wasn’t lying through his teeth.

“You know,” Lambert moved forward, until they were standing only inches away from each other, “you could always come to my place. I can show you my collection and you can see where that dagger was kept.” He smiled slightly. “If it’ll help any.”

Kris stared up at him for a few moments before one corner of his mouth lifted slightly and he raised an eyebrow. “I’ll think about it.” Even if he did say yes, it wasn’t happening today or tomorrow since he’d be in court over a previous case.

Lambert raised his hand, stopping just before he touched Kris’s face. “I’ll be waiting,” he said instead.

 

~*~*~

 

Kris was tired, a little bit cranky, and feeling extremely satisfied. He couldn’t help the tired smile when he thought of the look that had been on Milo Ventimiglia’s face when he hadn’t been able to poke a single hole in Kris’s story.

He really loved it when he pissed off the defense.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan had looked like Christmas had come early to anyone who knew him well when Kris was done testifying. His closing arguments combined with the images that Kris’s words had brought up would more than likely be enough for a conviction.

On top of all that, he’d been able to look into Adam’s story that he’d reported the dagger missing long before it had been used as a murder weapon and Anoop had done some of the follow up on that, verifying that it was true. It hadn’t been that hard to get the insurance company to talk, though Kris was pretty sure that had to do with the fact that Anoop knew how to be subtle and creative when threatening someone.

Kris sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, refusing to examine the feeling of relief that had come over him when he’d realized that Adam hadn’t lied to him. He just wasn’t going to go there yet.

Slowly, he tilted his head back and stretched, groaning when he heard and felt his back crack before he fell back in his chair, relaxing. He was happy that Dr. Abdul had cleared him for active duty again but, damn, he needed a break.

Almost out of nowhere, Kris couldn’t help but think of the last time he’d seen Adam, something that had been happening quite a bit in the last few days.

 _“I’ll be waiting.”_

Licking his lips, Kris stood and only hesitated a moment before he left the office, heading straight for his car, pulling out his phone and notebook as he went, quickly pressing in a number. He closed his eyes when he got an answer.

“Mr. Lambert, this is Lieutenant Allen. I was wondering if you’d mind showing me that collection now.”

 

~*~*~

 

Cassidy Haley stared down at the message that he’d received in disbelief. God, did they really think he was that stupid? That one message made it easy to see what had happened. The sudden funds, a possible business, and now this offer. No, it was easy to see what had happened to Drake. He shook his head, closing his eyes before he reached for the phone.

Quickly, he dialed the number of the one person he thought might be able to help, swearing when there was no answer.

“Brad,” he said. “It’s me. Listen, I found something out and I...” He paused. “I know who killed Drake.” He glanced out the window. “I’m going to meet them. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell them I know but I need to know for sure.” He sighed. “I’ll call you after, okay?”

Hanging up, Cassidy stared down at the paper in his hand before he shoved it into a drawer. Part of him was screaming that this had to be the worst idea he’d ever had. Even worse than trying to pass off that horrible pink plaid as an actual dress.

God, he should never design when drunk.

The other part of him though said that he needed to do this, he needed to have proof. He’d be fine.

Grabbing his jacket, Cassidy pulled it on and then headed outside, praying that the second part was right.

 

~*~*~

 

The house wasn’t what Kris had been expecting. He couldn’t say why he’d been expecting Adam to live in some sort of condo but the house was a nice surprise. He studied it for a moment from the driveway, taking in the sprawling one-story before he let out a small breath and straightened his shoulders, getting out before he could lose his nerve.

He wasn’t coming just to look at a dagger collection and both he and Adam had known it from the moment that he called.

The knowledge weighted down on him as he walked up to the door and knocked once, then twice. It wasn’t long before the door opened and Adam—Kris still wasn’t sure when he’d become Adam instead of Lambert—was standing there, a small smile on his lips.

“Lieutenant,” he greeted, stepping back. “Come on in.”

Kris nodded at him. “Mr. Lambert.” He paused when Adam shifted slightly, turning more fully towards him and Kris had to fight back a smile when he noticed that Adam was barefoot.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you started calling me Adam?” he asked. “What with the way you’ve been investigating me and my past.”

Kris raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You really think that I don’t know that you’ve been asking about my past relationships? Or that I haven’t heard about the searches through my files?” Adam lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I’m not an idiot, Lieutenant and you aren’t either. I already know that you’re searching as deep as you can without a warrant.”

Well, that knowledge wasn’t something that Kris had ever wanted out. He couldn’t say that he was surprised though. Adam Lambert may be known as “just a fashion designer” to many people but Anoop had managed to find out just how much Adam was involved in, from fashion to music and movies to various charities.

It took a smart man to be able to keep an eye on all of those various projects and make sure they were each successful.

“Have you eaten?” Adam asked as he led the way towards the back of the house. Kris shook his head.

“No. I’m not hungry actually.”

Adam smiled, wider this time, before he began to walk a bit quicker. “Come on then. It’s back here.”

For a minute, Kris honestly thought he meant the bedroom before he realized that he was actually taking him to the back to look at a room that was clearly an odd combination of a game room and a collection room.

And one entire wall was dedicated to daggers. Kris stared at the display, moving forward before Adam could say anything, eyes moving from one dagger to the next, taking in the various details of each. Not a single one was the same and Kris couldn’t help but admire the amount of time it must’ve taken to track down some of these – they were clearly one of a kind.

“The one that was...the one that was used to kill Drake was kept here,” Adam said softly, gesturing to a blank spot in the display. “It went missing after I had a party.”

“I’ll need a list of all the guests.”

He didn’t hesitate to nod. “That’s fine. I keep a list of who gets invited to my parties.” Off of Kris’s look, Adam’s lips twitched. “It’s a thing.” He stepped forward and didn’t stop this time when he lifted his hand, running his thumb along Kris’s bottom lip.

Kris’ stomach clenched and he sucked in a breath, tongue darting out and tasting Adam’s skin. “It’ll be helpful,” he said, voice low.

Adam hummed. “Well, I do love being useful,” he said, thumb slipping just inside Kris’s mouth. He let out a breath when Kris sucked it in deeper and groaned. “Fuck it,” he muttered, pulling his hand away. Adam didn’t hesitate as he tilted Kris’s face back and kissed him. He slid his hands down, gripping Kris’s waist and pulled him forward, trying not to groan at the way Kris just seemed to open up beneath him.

Kris gripped the back of Adam’s neck as he raised himself up on his tip toes, biting down on Adam’s lower lip as Adam began to walk them backwards. He pulled back slightly.

“Bedroom,” he told Kris. Kris hesitated for a moment and then nodded, pulling Adam back down.

Adam turned them, walking Kris backwards out of the room until he pressed him against the wall, sliding one of his legs between Kris’s. Kris moaned and pressed forward, rocking his hips. Adam’s hands clenched before he pulled Kris away from the wall and walked him further back into the house until he was able to push him against a door, fumbling with it until he was able to push it open and they stumbled through.

He made a sound in the back of his throat when he moved Kris again, taking in the way he looked standing there in his bedroom.

Rather than say what he was thinking, Adam reached out and shoved Kris’s jacket over his shoulders, tossing it so that it was draped over a chair. As he did that, he watched Kris take off his holster and carefully move to place it on the dresser before he turned back to Adam.

Without hesitation, Adam reached out and pulled Kris back to him before he spun them, letting Kris fall back on the bed before he pulled his shirt off and crawled up the bed, holding himself above Kris. He sighed softly when Kris ran his hands up his back and let his legs fall open.

Adam sat back, pulling Kris up so that he could run his hands up his sides, pushing the shirt up as he did so. “Jesus,” he muttered as he fully removed Kris’ shirt, tossing it over his shoulder. “I’m really glad you don’t wear suits all the time like they do on TV.”

Kris snorted, his laugh turning into a moan when Adam pressed him back down into the mattress. Adam slid his hand down, palming Kris’s dick through his jeans. He pressed down harder before he pulled back again, this time to practically rip open the button and zipper on Kris’s jeans. He began to scoot back, pulling Kris’s jeans and boxer briefs down as he went. He swore when they caught on Kris’s shoes, pausing only long enough to yank them and the socks off before he finished pulling the last of Kris’s clothes off.

Never had he been more grateful that he was wearing nothing under his jeans than he was right now, Adam decided as he shoved them down his hips until they fell to the floor and he was able to kick them to side. He grinned as he resumed his spot on top of Kris, gripping Kris’s hip and thrusting against him.

“Adam,” he gasped, head falling back. Adam paused at the sound of his name coming from Kris, staring down at him until Kris frowned. “What?”

Adam shook his head. “Nothing.” Before Kris could say anything else, he lowered his head, biting down gently on Kris’s neck. Kris’s hips bucked and Adam grinned against his skin before sliding his lips down to the spot where Kris’s neck met his shoulder and biting down again, worrying the skin between his teeth and sucking lightly. Kris cried out, his fingers digging in to Adam’s arms as he arched his back.

“Fuck,” he breathed. “Fuck, Adam.”

Adam slid down Kris’s body, stopping to press a kiss to the inside of Kris’s thigh before he glanced up at Kris. He waited until Kris had shifted to look down at him before he leaned down and took Kris in his mouth, lowering his head until Kris’s dick hit the back of his throat.

Kris let out a strangled moan, one hand tangling in the sheets while the other reached down to tangle in Adam’s hair. Adam hummed, the vibrations causing Kris’s hips to twitch. Adam quickly pressed Kris’s hips down, holding them against the bed as he slowly pulled his head back until his lips were wrapped only around the tip. He swirled his tongue around the tip for a while before he lowered his head again, this time keeping his lips tight, remembering to breathe through his nose.

Adam removed one of his hands from Kris’s hips, moving to trail his fingers over Kris’s thigh, curling his fingers and scratching over the skin lightly. He felt Kris tug at his hair and only sucked harder, pulling back and deliberately letting his teeth scrape over Kris.

Kris shouted, his hips jerking again as he came, fingers scrabbling at the sheets.

Slowly, Adam pulled away from him, licking a long stripe over Kris’s hipbone before he crawled back up Kris’s body again, licking his way into his mouth, letting Kris taste himself. He began to move his hips, gasping slightly when Kris lifted a leg and wrapped it around his waist.

“Harder,” Kris whispered. “Adam.” His voice broke slightly when Adam pushed the leg wrapped around his waist higher, pressing their dicks together.

Adam thrust against him faster, pressing down just a little bit harder each time. He fought not to say the words that wanted to escape.

 _Been wanting you from the beginning. I’ve been thinking about what it’d be like for you to be here, been imagining waking up to you._

Too soon, it was too soon for any of that, Adam knew that but he couldn’t help but think it. He let out a breath as Kris’s hips rolled against his and closed his eyes as it became too much.

“Kris,” he gasped as he came, his thrusts losing their rhythm. He collapsed on top of Kris, muttering an apology when he swore. For a few moments, he didn’t move and then he groaned and pushed himself up, rolling to the side. “Shit.”

Kris’s lips twitched. “Yeah.”

“I should get something to clean us up.” Even as he said it, Adam sank further back into the mattress.

“Adam?”

“Hmm?” Adam rolled his head to the side, staring at Kris.

“I’m hungry now.” He grinned.

Laughing, Adam nodded and reached over to run his hand over Kris’ stomach. “Then we’ll eat.”

 

~*~*~

 

Adam laughed at the look of surprise on Kris’s face when he took a bite of spaghetti. He shook his head. “What?” he asked.

“I thought you might burn the pasta,” Kris admitted.

“I can cook. I just don’t do it that often.” Adam gestured to his plate. “Besides, pasta isn’t hard. I can do that no problem. It’s other stuff that gets me.” He smiled, enjoying the way Kris laughed, making note of the way he sounded almost surprised, like he wasn’t sure if he should actually be laughing.

He studied the way Kris looked, dressed but still flushed from earlier, his hair slightly messy, and smiled to himself before taking a drink of water. Kris had refused wine, saying that he had to go back to the station later and didn’t want to be drinking before. It hadn’t seemed fair for him to drink in front of Kris, not to mention that drinking alone when you had company was never fun, so Adam had stuck to water.

From the jacket that was now hanging over the back of his chair, Kris’s cell phone began to ring. Kris frowned and reached back, pulling the phone out and raising an eyebrow at the name on the screen before he answered.

“Allen,” he said. He paused. “Ackles, what’s up?”

Adam watched in fascination as the man he’d been getting to know disappeared, only to be replaced by the cop he’d first met, the one that had suspected him and thought him capable of murder.

“I’m on my way. Call Desai and get him there,” Kris told the person on the other end. He hung up and looked over at Adam who was already standing, any trace of a smile gone from his face.

“Something’s happened.”

Kris nodded, standing and pulling on his jacket. “Yeah,” was all he said. He looked up. “I can’t tell you yet.”

Adam stared at him for a moment, acknowledging Kris’s use of the word yet before he nodded. “Okay.”

Kris headed to the door, pausing just before he opened it and glanced back. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something and then he turned and walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Kris was surprised to find not only Jensen but Jared at the scene when he arrived. “What do we have?” he asked.

“Dead body, looks like a homicide,” Jensen told him.

“You’re sure about the homicide part?” Kris glanced down at the man on the ground, crouching to get a better look at his face.

“Judging by the gunshot wound to the chest, I’m saying yes,” Jared said. “Just an opinion but I’d bet money that it’s going to be the thing that killed him. He hasn’t been dead that long, I’d say only about an hour.”

Kris nodded. “Desai on his way?”

“Desai is here,” Anoop said as he walked up causing Kris to glance over and nod at him in acknowledgement.

“So, why’d you call me?” Kris asked. “Why not report this to dispatch so the case could go to someone else like Gokey?”

Jensen gave him a look. “You think we wouldn’t have normally?” He shook his head. “This one might be related to your case.”

Kris frowned, exchanging a look with Anoop. “How so?” he asked. “This guy work at Asper too?”

“Actually, yeah,” Jared said. “We recognized him.”

“Jared recognized him. He’s a fashionista,” Jensen interrupted, a smirk on his face.

“Fuck you.” Jared didn’t miss a beat as he crouched down next to Kris. “His name’s Cassidy Haley. He’s a designer that was starting to make it big and Asper was the main place you could find his designs.”

Kris swore as he turned to study Cassidy Haley again. “Not a very good place to work lately,” he observed.

“Yeah, it’s a killer,” Anoop deadpanned. Kris rolled his eyes.

“Come on,” he said, standing. “Let’s get started.” He looked over at Jared. “We’ll be sending him with you.”

Jared nodded. “I’ll take care of him.”

 

~*~*~

 

It didn’t take long after he and Anoop had returned to the station for Cowell to call them into his office. Anoop gave Megan a small smile before they walked in to find Cowell already watching the door.

“Give me a report,” he ordered.

Quickly, Kris told him what they knew about Cassidy Haley and what they had found out about Drake LaBry with Anoop adding observations every now and then.

Cowell nodded slowly. “Can we tie this to Lambert? Does he have motive?”

Kris shifted and met Cowell’s gaze head on. “No, sir.”

Anoop looked surprised. “What?” he blurted. Off of Cowell’s look, he shrugged. “Sorry, sir.”

“Allen, you care to explain that remark?” Cowell asked.

“Padalecki was pretty sure that Cassidy Haley had only been dead for an hour or so. I know for a fact that Adam Lambert couldn’t have done it because during that time, he was with me.” Kris kept his gaze steady even as he registered Anoop’s eyes widening and Cowell’s eyebrows shooting up.

“Questioning him shouldn’t have taken an hour, Allen.”

“I never said I was questioning him, sir.”

Cowell swore. “Do you realize I could have you removed from the case for something like that, Kris?”

The use of his first name had Kris starting and then nodding. “Yes, sir.”

“You’re positive that he didn’t kill LaBry?” Cowell asked after a few moments.

“I’d bet on it.”

Cowell turned to look at him. “I hope so, Allen. You may have just bet your career on it.” He sighed. “I’m not taking you off the case, though I should. Finish this, Allen, and find me the murderer. I’m not losing one of my best lieutenants over this.”

Kris nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said.

 

~*~*~

 

“Are you insane?” Anoop demanded as soon as they were out of the office. “You and Lambert?”

Kris gave him a look. “Shut it, Desai.”

“I’m fucking serious.” Anoop stopped and pulled Kris to a stop. “You’re getting involved with a suspect?”

“He’s not a suspect,” Kris snapped, shoving the worry that he might be wrong to the side. “And I never said I was involved.”

“Sex seems pretty involved.”

Kris started walking, avoiding Anoop’s gaze. “Maybe in the world of sunshine and puppies, Desai.”

Anoop shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong.” He waited until Kris paused to look at him. “I know you, okay? You don’t sleep around, Allen. Hell, I can’t remember the last time you even went on a date. So if you’re sleeping with Lambert, that means there’s something there, whether you want to admit it or not.”

He was saved from having to answer when they turned the corner to find Brad Bell standing with Matt and Archie.

Matt looked over as they approached and raised an eyebrow. “You got a visitor, Allen.”

“I can see that, Giraud.” He looked at Brad, taking in the way his fingers flexed and the look on his face. “We can talk in my office.”

Brad nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“We’ll see you guys later,” Archie said, glancing between each of them before he nudged Matt. After another moment, Matt nodded in agreement and they headed down the hall.

Kris motioned for Brad to follow him and headed towards his office, waiting to close the door until Anoop and Brad were both inside the room.

“Your office is crappy,” Brad said.

“Did you come here to criticize my office?” Kris asked, nodding at the chair. Brad swallowed and shook his head.

“No.” He pulled out his cell phone and stared at it. “I’ve got something you should hear.” He looked between Kris and Anoop before hitting a few buttons. Suddenly, the room was filled with a recorded voice saying that Brad had one saved message.

 _“Brad, it’s me. Listen, I found something out and I…I know who killed Drake. I’m going to meet them. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell them I know but I need to know for sure. I’ll call you after, okay?”_

Kris and Anoop exchanged a look before Kris moved forward, sitting in the other chair. “Brad, who was that from?”

Brad licked his lips. “Cassidy. My friend, Cassidy, left that for me while I was doing some filming.”

At the mention of Cassidy’s name, Kris straightened. “Cassidy?” he asked, looking up at Anoop.

“Cassidy Haley,” Brad told him. He frowned, slowly looking between Kris and Anoop. “You know for cops, you have shit poker faces. Something’s happened and Cassidy is involved. What?”

Kris looked up at Anoop again before he turned back to Brad. “I’m sorry,” was all he said.

Brad paled. “He’s dead?” he whispered before shaking his head. “He’s dead. You wouldn’t say that, you wouldn’t look like that if he was only hurt.” When Kris stared at him, he smiled. “I’m a good judge of character, Lieutenant Sassy.” He didn’t sound nearly as flirty as he had the first time they’d talked but Kris had a feeling that the effort was the only thing keeping him from breaking at the moment.

“Brad,” Anoop said. “Is there someone you can call?”

Brad nodded. “Mark will come get me.” He gave them a small smile. “Didn’t see that one coming,” he added.

There was no way to sound insensitive about this next part, Kris knew, but he had to. “We’re going to need your phone,” he said, keeping his voice soft.

It took a few minutes but then Brad nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay,” he said. He let out a shuddering breath. “Do you need me for anything right now? Because if not, I’d really like to go and have a breakdown right now.”

Kris shook his head as he took the phone that Brad held out. “Do you want me to call him for you?”

Brad looked at him for a moment and then smiled. “You’re kind of a softie underneath it all, aren’t you?” he asked before he shook his head. “No, if I can just use someone’s phone, I’ll be fine.” He stood and nodded at Kris and then Anoop. “If I can help in any other way, let me know.”

“You’ve done more than enough,” Anoop assured him, opening the door. “We’ll get your phone back to you as soon as we can.”

“Thanks.” Brad glanced at Kris one more time and this time, there was a hint of his previous attitude there. “See you around, Lieutenant Sassy.”

 

~*~*~

 

Kris did not want to be here. He let out a slow breath and stared at Adam’s house before slowly getting out of the car, straightening his shoulders.

The movement was not lost on him as he realized how similar it was to earlier when he’d first come here.

Had it really been only hours since then?

“Suck it up, Kris, and get moving,” he whispered to himself. He made his way to the door, knocking a few times and wondering if he’d have to ring the doorbell.

He had his answer when the door opened and Adam stood there, his face blank. Kris swore silently as he realized that Adam knew.

“If you’re here to arrest me or tell me I’m a suspect, could you come back later?” he said, confirming Kris’s thoughts.

Kris shook his head and stepped forward. “I was coming to tell you what had happened,” he told him. Adam stared at him for a moment and then let out a breath and opened the door further, giving Kris a silent invitation to come in.

“Brad called me.” Adam scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “What happened?”

Kris thought over the stop he’d made at the morgue. Jared had already gotten started by the time he’d gotten there and had been able to confirm that Cassidy Haley had been killed while Kris was with Adam. It had taken him off the suspect list completely when combined with the fact that his story checked out. Jensen had been there, taking some time after having worked the crime scene and having made sure that anything that could be used as evidence had been dropped off at the lab.

They weren’t supposed to talk about the case, Kris knew that, but he also knew that he couldn’t leave Adam with that look on his face. Now that he knew that Kris hadn’t come to question him, he looked like he was going to break.

“He was shot,” Kris finally said. “No one heard it so they’re thinking that it was with a silencer. The men who found him happen to be cops, which is why they called me right away.”

Adam shut the door and walked into the next room, slowly lowering himself on to the couch. Kris followed him, sitting next to him. “Did it have anything to do with me?”

“I don’t know.” Kris figured it was better to be bluntly honest rather than try to lie through his teeth. Judging by the way Adam relaxed next to him and smiled, he was right.

“Thank you.” He turned to look at Kris. “Why’d you come here?”

“I already told you.”

Adam stared at him. “No, you really didn’t. I know what you said but I don’t think that’s why you came here.”

Kris couldn’t help but stare back and curse the fact that Adam was damn observant. He hesitated, turning to face Adam completely. “I didn’t want you hearing this on the news, for one. It wouldn’t be right.” The next hesitation was longer. “I had to make sure you were okay.”

Slowly, Adam smiled. Rather than say anything, he reached out and slid his hand over the couch to grip Kris’s thigh, squeezing lightly.

Kris stared down at Adam’s hand before he lifted his eyes to meet Adam’s. He studied him for a few minutes and then put his hand over Adam’s.

“Are you?” he finally asked. “Going to be okay?”

Adam thought about it for a moment. “My ex was murdered in my store and a man that I considered a good friend was shot. I was a suspect for the first one, I’ve had my personal life dug into, and to top it all off, I had amazing sex with the cop who suspected me.” Off of Kris’s look, his smile widened. “Surprisingly, I think I’m going to be okay.”

Listening to Adam list the things that had happened to him so far, Kris could only stare. “You’re something else, you know that?”

Adam laughed slightly, shifting closer. “I’ve been told that before.” He reached out and pulled Kris towards him until Kris was straddling him.

Kris shifted. “I should...” He moaned when Adam pushed aside his collar and brushed his lips over the hickey he’d given Kris earlier. “Adam.”

“Busy,” Adam muttered against his skin.

Work, there was still work. Kris still had a case to solve. He really had to go—and shit, where had Adam learned to do that with his tongue?

The phone ringing caused them to pull apart, though this time it was Adam’s phone going off. Adam groaned and took a few breaths before he dug into his pocket, pulling his phone out. “Hello?” he asked. His shoulders slumped and he shook his head. “Michael. You really have the worst timing.” He looked up at Kris. “Yeah, I heard. I’m okay, really. Michael, I’m sure. How did you find out?” His eyebrows shot up. “How is she?” He nodded. “Yeah, I know. I will. Likewise, Michael, I mean it. Bye.” He hung up and looked up at Kris. “Michael just found out. Kara told him. How she found out, I don’t know but word travels fast.”

Kris nodded and then stood up. “I should go,” he said.

Adam reached out, running his finger over the top of Kris’s hand. “Now?”

“Now.” Kris took a step back and then paused, considering his next words before deciding to just say it. “I’ll come back.”

Adam stood and tangled his fingers with Kris’s. “I’ll be here.”

 

~*~*~

 

“Tell me what we’ve got,” Kris said, looking over the details of the case so far. His eyes lingered on the pictures from Haley crime scene, trying to find something they might have missed.

“Misha ran the bullet. It’s from a Colt .45,” Anoop told him.

Kris paused at that. “You don’t see many of those with silencers.” He looked up. “Adam’s supposed to get us a list of people that were at his last party. We’ll get that and see if any of them have a .45 registered to them.”

Anoop raised an eyebrow at the use of Adam’s first name but didn’t say anything, only nodded. “That’d be a good place to start,” he agreed.

Kris stood and pulled out his phone, moving out of the room. “Hold on.”

Anoop watched him go, frowning slightly. He continued to watch Kris as he talked, studying the changes in his expression as he did so and nodding. Once Kris hung up, Anoop looked back down at the reports he’d been going over.

Maybe he didn’t know much about Adam Lambert but he could honestly say that he’d never seen Kris look like that before and while he still wasn’t sure if it was the smart thing to do, it seemed to be the right thing for Kris.

“We’ll have the list in the next few minutes. I’m going to go print it out and then we’ll see what we can match.” He thought about something. “On second thought, we’ll see if we can get Alexis to do the matching for us. We need to go through Cassidy Haley’s apartment and see what we can find.”

“Sure,” Anoop agreed. “Sounds like a plan.” He watched as Kris turned and left the room again, heading for his office.

If anything, Kris’s involvement with Adam Lambert made things a hell of a lot easier.

 

~*~*~

 

“Hey, Allen, come check this out,” Anoop called. Kris looked up from the stack of papers he’d been going through and then followed the sound of Anoop’s voice to the bedroom.

“You find something?”

“Yeah, Cassidy Haley was seriously kinky.” He gestured at the drawer in front of him and Kris rolled his eyes.

“I’m not interested in his sex life unless that’s what killed him, Desai. Now get your perv mind off of the toys and keep looking.” He shook his head and went back into the living room. He sighed as he picked up the last of the papers and looked over each one, scanning them quickly for any mention of Asper or anything related to it. “Nothing.” He dropped the papers in disgust before moving to open the drawers of the desk.

He’d already gone through three drawers when he found something. His eyes moved over the paper, taking in the message written there and silently thanked Cassidy for printing out this email.

“Fuck me,” he said. “Anoop!”

“What?” Anoop shouted from Cassidy’s closet.

“I’ve got what we need.”

It didn’t take long for Anoop to come into the room. He took the paper that Kris held out and read it over, shaking his head. “Well, hell.”

“I know,” he said. Kris pulled out his phone and scrolled through the list quickly before he hit call. Tapping his fingers, he waited for an answer, relaxing slightly when he got one. “Alexis, it’s me. I need you to see if there’s a Colt .45 registered to Kara DioGuardi.”

 

~*~*~

 

“You didn’t have to come in today, you know,” Adam said, looking up as Kara sat down across from him.

“I know,” she said. “But I figured being here would be better than just sitting at home and trying not to think about it.” Kara pulled out the stack of folders she’d been carrying in her briefcase. “I found a few people that I think would do well here.” She held out the folders. “What do you think?”

Adam took the stack and flipped the first one open, studying the designs there. There was potential there, he wouldn’t deny that. They’d probably do well in the new store Adam wanted to open, one where he could showcase other designers’ work as well.

Cassidy had been ecstatic by the thought.

He closed his eyes and pushed the memory away, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it.

“Adam?”

He looked up. “Hmm?”

Kara nodded at the folder in front of him. “Are they that bad?”

“What? No,” Adam shook his head, “no, they’re actually pretty good. I was just thinking about Cassidy.” He looked back down at the designs.

“He had a lot of talent,” Kara agreed. “It’s too bad he went and got himself shot.”

At her words, Adam froze. “What?”

 

~*~*~

 

Kris looked over at Anoop and nodded. “Thanks, Alexis. I owe you one.” He flipped the phone closed and slid it into his pocket. “Kara DioGuardi has had a Colt .45 registered to her since 2005.” He pulled out an evidence bag and slid the printed out email into it before finally removing the gloves he’d been wearing. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go.”

Anoop shoved his own gloves into his pocket, making a note to throw them out and followed Kris. “Allen, she’s been killing people at Asper, right? But we don’t know why.”

“Yeah,” Kris agreed, his tone indicating that Anoop should continue.

“It stands to reason that despite the fact that we don’t actually have a motive, two people connected to Adam Lambert are dead.”

Kris stiffened and stopped walking to turn and glare at Anoop. “What are you trying to say here, Desai?”

Anoop didn’t falter in meeting Kris’s gaze. “That maybe she’s doing this to get back at him for something. He’s the main connection between the two victims. Yeah, they both knew the other people that work for Adam but LaBry dated him and Haley was a good friend that was trying to make his designs known. Given that, if Kara wanted to get to Lambert, she’d try to hurt him, whether it be through other people or going after the man himself.”

“And since we cleared him for LaBry’s murder and I’m his alibi for the second, there’s nothing that would hurt his reputation,” Kris added, already following Anoop’s logic. He began to move even faster as he began walking again.

“Exactly,” Anoop agreed, easily keeping up with Kris. “Which means she may very well go after him next.” He glanced at Kris. “Where is he today?”

“I don’t know.” Kris pulled out his phone. “But I’m going to find out.”

“Who are you calling?”

“Michael Sarver.”

 

~*~*~

 

Kara stared at him. “What?” she asked.

Adam looked up at her, mind racing. “What did you just say?”

She thought about it and then frowned. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Saying that’d he’d gotten himself shot. He didn’t ask for that, I know that.”

Slowly, Adam closed the folder, his stomach twisting. “Kara, how did you know Cassidy had been shot?” He knew for a fact that that detail hadn’t been released to the press. Brad hadn’t even known.

“It was on the news. They said a man had been shot in an alley.”

He shook his head. “No, Kara, they didn’t.” Adam thought quickly, wondering how much he could actually stall her. He went with instinct. “Who told you?” he asked, mentally swearing when he saw the look of relief that passed over her face.

Damn it, he wished she didn’t know about the security button he’d had installed under his desk. There was no way to push that without her knowing.

“Adam, really, I think I know what I heard on the news.” Her grip on her bag shifted.

“I think you’re lying.” Adam tilted his head and stood, sliding his hand into his pocket, grateful that he’d gotten a phone that didn’t flip open. He began to run his finger over the keypad, pushing the numbers in for Michael’s phone. “Are you trying to protect someone?”

“You’re really not going to drop this, are you?” Kara sighed and reached into her bag. “Well, it doesn’t change my plans, only moves them up a little.”

Adam felt his mouth go dry at the gun she pulled out. “Kara—“

“I was going to get rid of this after I’d had the serial number filed off but I suppose before I do that, I can always use it on you.”

 

~*~*~

 

“He’s at Asper?” Kris asked, using one hand to steer as he used the other to hold the phone. “Who’s with him?”

“Kara,” Sarver told him.

Kris swore. “Damn it.”

“She’s the one who did it?” Sarver sounded surprised but Kris still had to give him credit for putting it together from one sentence. “I’m going in there.”

“No, you’re—“

“Lieutenant, you do your job and let me do mine.” Sarver didn’t give him a chance to answer before he hung up and Kris swore again.

“Adam’s at Asper. Kara’s with him and Sarver’s about to burst in there.”

“Fuck.” Anoop reached out and grabbed the radio, already beginning to relay the information as Kris flipped on the sirens and punched the gas.

 

~*~*~

 

“What the hell are you doing, Kara?” Adam asked.

“Don’t play stupid. You and I both know that you are anything but. It’s too bad because I happen to like you, Adam.”

“So, you tried to frame me for murder?”

“That was a simple side benefit. I stole the dagger, I admit that but I didn’t take it to use it. When Drake called me about discrepancies he’d found in the finances for the store, it was just an impulse to take it.”

“Your fingerprints weren’t anywhere on it.”

“Gloves, Adam, I was wearing gloves the night of the party and I wore gloves when I went to meet Drake.”

“Why’d you kill him?” It occurred to Adam that he should probably be worried about the fact that she was telling him all this but he figured that anything he could use to stall for time was fine.

“Because he’d have said something when nothing was done about it. After all, you were still keeping him on to do the finances.”

Adam opened his mouth to ask another question and then froze when Michael came in to the room. Kara spun to face Michael, moving so that the desk was still between her and Adam but so that her gun was pointed at Michael.

“I’d watch it, Michael. This has nothing to do with you.”

“You’re trying to kill Adam, I think that has everything to do with me.”

“You know, you’re a good employee, Michael. I could use someone like you. Turn the other cheek and there’s a job in it for you.”

Adam stared at her, wondering just when the hell Kara had started losing it. She was seriously offering up jobs.

“I can’t do that.”

Adam wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss Michael for being so damn loyal or shake him for being so honest when he could be stalling for time.

Kara sighed in disappointment. “Well, then I suppose there’s no use for you,” she said, lifting the gun higher and pulling the trigger.

“No,” Adam shouted, watching as Michael fell back. Kara swung back to face him.

“Now,” she said, “where were we?”

 

~*~*~

 

Kris hit the brakes in front of Asper and yanked the keys out of the ignition before he got out of the car and headed straight for the doors.

“We need to go in through the back,” Anoop told him. “It’s open today.”

Kris nodded. “Yeah.” He motioned for them to go in the direction they’d gone in the first time they’d shown up at the store. “Come on.”

Neither of them said anything as they rounded the corner and made sure the way was clear before making their way to the door that would lead them inside.

“Remember,” Kris added, “I go in low.”

“Always.”

 

~*~*~

 

“Right,” Kara nodded, “Drake. Well, I have to admit that I was worried when he originally called. But then he said he’d called me so that he wouldn’t worry you and because he knew I’d be able to find the person stealing from the company.” She smiled. “As I said, he’d have said something once he realized it was still happening so he had to go.”

“Why were you stealing money?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Because I’m sick of not having something of my own. I’m sick of finding good people and then sending them to you for work. Do you know the kind of store I could have with my eye?”

“You stole money and killed people so that you could fucking start a business?” Adam demanded, not quite believing what he’d heard. “Jesus, Kara, why didn’t you just tell me you wanted to go off on your own? I’d have helped.”

“How generous,” was all she said.

Adam shook his head. “And Cassidy?”

“A miscalculation. I made him an offer that I thought he wouldn’t refuse but apparently he was more into friendship and loyalty than making a business move. He was a horrible liar. I could tell, even over the phone, that he’d figured it out and so I took this with me. I acted like the guilt was eating away at me and pulled him into that alley, saying I needed help and, well, I believe you know how that ended.”

“You’re crazy.”

“That’s really all relative, now isn’t it?” She lifted the gun. “And now that you know, it’s time to end this.”

“The cops will know something’s wrong with this.”

“You think so? Who’s going to tell? You and Michael will both be dead and I’ll be the brave friend who steps in to take over and make sure your legacy doesn’t go under after your death.” She smiled. “If I can’t get my own business one way, I’ll get it another.”

The door flew open and Adam felt himself relax briefly before he tensed again at the sight of Kris and his partner.

“Drop it,” Kris ordered.

Kara stared at him, looking as if she were considering her options before her expression hardened and she pulled the trigger again.

Adam couldn’t even make a sound as he felt the bullet rip through him and he gasped, bracing himself against the wall. He opened eyes that he didn’t remember closing when he heard two shots ring out and he watched as Kara cried out, dropping the gun, blood already spreading in two different spots on her shoulder.

He stared at her, jolting slightly when Kris stepped in front of him, and he winced at the feel. Kris frowned at him.

“Don’t, you might cause the bullet to move,” he told him, voice low. He reached out and grabbed one of the many pieces of fabric and pressed it against Adam’s side.

“Fuck, Kris, are you a sadist?” Adam snapped. He focused on Kara and wondered when he’d missed them putting her in handcuffs.

“No, not really into that.” Kris looked up at him. “Now, shut up, Lambert.”

Vaguely, Adam registered that Kris’s partner was talking to someone on the phone, saying something about an ambulance. “You heard?”

“We heard enough.”

“It’s over?”

Kris nodded after a moment. “Almost. We don’t have enough to convict her, even with her confession to you. At the moment, that’ll be hearsay. We need to get her to confess in interrogation but until then, we’ve got enough to arrest her and hold her for questioning.”

“And then what?” Adam asked. He wasn’t asking about the case and they both knew it.

“Then I’m going to take you home and make sure you don’t hurt yourself further,” Kris said, glancing back at his partner—Adam should really learn his name—before wrapping his arm around Adam and answering the unspoken question. “I’m going to stay with you.”

Adam closed his eyes at that, lifting a hand to twist into Kris’s shirt. “Good.”

 

~Fin~


End file.
